Montana
by MagentaButterfly92
Summary: That's it...My story is now officially finished! Chapter 14 and 15 were just added! Chapter 15 is a letter to all of my readers that made this story possible! Please read it! Oh, and if you haven't read the story itself already, please R&R!
1. Terrible Thought

Chelsea yawned and pulled the sleeping bag up and over her head. She groaned when she heard the irritating whisper in her ear:

"Chels! You awake, girl?" Raven asked.

"No, I'm not." Chelsea threw the blankets back off her head and stared at Raven. Wow! She was all dressed for the day. Her hair was in a high pony tail with a scrunchie she designed, a pair of jeans with a red top with blue and white stars glittered around it, and her lips were glossed.

"Did…why…your're dressed?" Chelsea was stunned. She glanced at the clock which read 7:12. "Raven, it's only 7 in the morning! You fell asleep only 3 hours ago and here you are ready to go? Did I miss something?" She pulled herself up into a sitting position in her sleeping bag and looked across Raven's bedroom.

"Chelsea! I know, I know. It's strange having me up so early 'cause I must admit I am the type to sleep in, but, Chels! Girl, this is bad. Real bad." Raven's face turned serious. Her eyes had dark purple circles beneath them and she got tears in her eyes.

Chelsea got out of her sleeping bag and sat next to her friend on the bed.

"Ray…what is it?" Chelsea glanced into her friend's heartbroken eyes.

"I had a vision. It's…it's about Eddie." Raven gushed out in tears.

"Raven! Did he not get on that basketball team he was all excited for?"

"No. It's way more horrible than that, Chels. My vision showed him…him…**MOVING**!" She sucked in a bunch of air and let out a huge, quivering sigh.

Chelsea sat there with a blank look on her pale face.

"Are you _sure _Ray? I mean, sometimes when you're over tired your mind plays tricks on you. Maybe that's what your vision was…you know? Just a silly trick!" Chelsea's voice was unsure because she knew inside Raven only got visions when they were absolutely needed.

"No, that can't be it. He's moving to Montana. In a month he'll be gone. I know this is real, Chels, ya know? I just know it. I saw it."

With that, Chelsea hugged Raven and they sat on the bed in a mournful state. Their best bud was moving. Moving away. So far away in fact that Raven and Chelsea may never see him again.

Later that day, Chelsea stayed at Raven's for lunch. As they sat at the kitchen table, they discussed that horrible vision.

"Chels, we gotta stop him! He can't move away!" Raven moaned as she slammed down her salami sandwich on the table.

Chelsea's mouth was full of Veggie Burger, so she just mumbled out,

"How, Ray?"

"I've got a plan, Chelsea. A great plan!"

"What is it?" Chelsea answered after swallowing her hunk of Veggie Burger with a glass of orange soda pop.

"I don't know quite yet. But, still, this plan will be so good, Eddie won't dream of moving. And neither will his family!" Raven exclaimed with a proud, dignified tone.

Chelsea nodded and jammed more food into her mouth. It was evident she was too hungry to talk about this horrible matter, so Raven just thought about the vision she had had when she awoke earlier this morning:

Her vision showed showed Eddie's dad, at the school office. He was talking to the secretary about how they were moving. He said they were going to Montana in a month because he wanted to be in the country, and that Eddie was very excited. Which meant Eddie knew all about this, and on Monday when she saw him, he'd probably mention it. Good! She could talk to him all about it and find out more!

Returning her thoughts back to the current world, Chelsea had finished her Veggie Burger and now had started eating the cookies her dad had baked.

"Hey, Chelsea! My dad was saving those cookies for later!" Raven said to her as Chelsea took her hand off the plate.

"Well, Ray, I asked if I could have one. You said I could just a few seconds ago." Chelsea exclaimed as she still positioned herself at the counter.

"I did? Oh. Well, sorry Chels, but my dad baked them for something special. I was just daydreaming about my vision, so I probably wasn't paying attention to your question and just said 'yes'." Raven shrugged it off.

Chelsea went back to the kitchen table and sat across from Raven, looking discouraged. "Tell me about your vision, Raven." She said curiously.

So, Raven told Chelsea all about her crazy vision that day after lunch. She couldn't wait for Monday so she could discuss it with Eddie! She had to stop him from moving!


	2. Empty Locker and Mr French's Roar

On Monday morning, Raven rushed down the school's hallway at top speed. Of course, as most friends do, she had memorized Eddie's locker number and exactly what hallway it was in. That was her destination – the locker.

When Raven got to the locker, there no sign of Eddie. Raven was puzzled, because Eddie liked to be at his locker until the homeroom bell sounded. He'd get there early and stay there until he had no time left to be at his 'territory'. His friends weren't near his locker, either. Just Raven.

"Okay…well…he's gotta be somewhere in this school! Maybe he's home sick?" Raven asked herself under her breath. "He couldn't have moved yet, right?"

Eddie's locker was unlocked, so Raven pulled the latch and it swung open. Oops. She looked around her as if it was an accident. Nobody seemed to notice she was at Eddie's locker peaking inside. Everyone was bustling and hustling as usual. Glancing inside his 'mini tin box', she saw nothing. No crumpled pieces of paper, no wad of gum stuck to the side, no ripped up book report. No books. It was as if Eddie'd cleaned out his things and just left for Montana. Without saying goodbye. This was so weird.

She stood there, deep in thought, when she heard a voice:

"Hey, Raven!" There came Chelsea, waving with a happy-go-lucky face on.

"Hey, Chels." Raven said, slamming Eddie's locker shut.

"Uhhh, why were you looking in Eddie's personal life?" Chelsea gasped.

A few people looked over at Raven, making her feel very uncomfortable.

"Chelsea, I'm not looking in his personal life. It's a locker, for Pete's sake! It was sorta just open, and I was just coming over to close it." Raven said, scratching the back of her neck with a fake smile.

"Really…uh huh…sure. Anyway, guess what! The cafeteria is selling my favorite soup today! As a special! What, luck, huh Ray?" Chelsea said with a chuckle.

"Yeah, sure, that's pure luck, Chels. Why? What's your favorite soup?" Raven asked just to act enthusiastic for Chelsea.

"Tomato soup with grinded broccoli and cheese in it. Boy, I sure can't wait to taste the school's version of it!" she said with a little clap of the hands.

Raven made a face and shuddered. Tomatoes with broccoli and who knows what kind of cheese all smashed up together by the old cafeteria ladies to make a mysterious liquid? EEEWWWW! She did a silent prayer to herself that would allow Chelsea to live after eating the school's gunk.

The school bell rang. All the students rushed to their homerooms. Raven and Chelsea looked at eachother and screamed, "RUN!" The two of them had the same homeroom teacher who practically killed you if you were one minute late after the homeroom bell.

Together, they held on tight to their books and ran like the wind. They hurried up the first flight of stairs, then rounded the corner, ran straight ahead, took a left, took a right, and ran down the last hallway to their homeroom. At the door, they stopped, matted their hair back down so it didn't look as if they hadn't been running, caught their breath, and opened the door.

"Well, well, well. Look who we've got here! Raven and Chelsea. Now, girls, can you please explain to me why you are two minutes late?" Mr. French snapped at them.

"Please, Mr. French. We were late because something came up that was very important…right Chels?" Raven shot a look at Chelsea.

"Right. We, uh, had something important come up." Chelsea squeaked as Mr. French got up from his puffy chair at his desk and walked over to the girls, arms crossed.

"And, this something was more important than being to class on time, eh? Well, what was this 'emergency'?" he scowled.

"It's private." Raven glanced out at the twelve other students in her homeroom. Their eyes were big and wide with curiosity.

"Really. Uh huh. Okay. I see. Well, take your seats. And DON'T let it happen again. We were just about to do attendance and I DON'T need your problems!" Mr. French huffed.

Raven and Chelsea took their seats. Wow, this man must be crazy in the head, they both thought to themselves. He takes things so seriously!

Raven ripped a piece of paper out of her notebook and jotted down a note for Chelsea. It read this:

"Chels:

I think Eddie could've moved already. NOTHING was in his locker. NOTHING. It was deserted. Let's go down to the office after homeroom and ask about where he is…okay? Meet me outside the class.

-Raven

P.S. – Let's not be late again to homeroom, okay? I don't think it's worth it! And don't eat that soup at lunch, either!"


	3. Mr Thomas says it ALL

After what seemed like forever, homeroom ended. When the bell sounded after ten minutes, Raven and Chelsea jumped up with their books and moved swiftly out the door. Meanwhile, Mr. French had watched them very suspiciously.

Outside the room (and a little bit down the hallway too, just in case Mr. French was the snoopy type) the two stopped at the water fountain.

"Chels, his locker was empty! The wad of gum wasn't even stuck to the side like it always was! The gum is GONE! I never thought I'd say this, girl, but I want that gum to come back. If it came back, then that means that Eddie would be standing next to us right now, and it'd be back to normal…" Raven heaved a heavy side and leaned against the wall. "He's cleaned out his things and he's left us."

"Raven. I know what you mean. It feels different having him gone like that. Real…quiet and lonely." Chelsea said as she put her hand on Raven's shoulder.

"Well, come on, Chelsea. Let's get to that office and see exactly where Eddie went. Maybe the secretary there has it recorded or something…" Raven stood up straight and tall and continued to walk through the mob of moving people, head down, holding back tears.

Chelsea rushed up beside her and said, "Now, Raven! If it makes you feel better, because I know it makes ME feel better, but, anyway, the Tomato and Broccoli Cheese soup is being served special in the cafeteria today! Maybe that was fate helping us through the day with a nice big bowl of-"

"I DON'T want that soup, Chels. That is too gross for me. Way, WAY too gross for me."

All the way through the halls it was quiet between them until they reached the office. When Raven opened the big wooden door, she was stunned. There, standing in front of her, was Eddie's DAD! Just like in her vision she saw Saturday morning!

She grabbed Chelsea's arm and whispered, "CHELS! This is from my vision! Eddie's dad standing in the office talking about moving to Montana!"

Chelsea's eyes opened wide and she looked strait ahead at Eddie's father. They stood in the doorway trying to listen with all their might and ear strength.

"Uh huh. Yeah. We're moving to Montana. Where the air is clean and you can see a deer in the back yard! My Eddie's never seen a deer here where we live. Never! Can you believe that? Gosh darn it all, it's pathetic! I'm moving my family to the real deal. They'll love it! We'll be gone in a few days. Maybe a month. But I think we're all set to get going now. So, wish us luck getting across the country in our car! Ugh, I can JUST imagine it now. Everyone yelling at eachother as they cram into the backseat. Such fun. Brings me back to the old days, ya know? Beside, Eddie I think looks excited!" Eddie's dad was talking to the secretary, who looked pretty warn out. Eddie's dad loved to talk, it was plain obvious, and he could drone on about the most boring things.

Chelsea and Raven looked at eachother. It was official. He was leaving now. Eddie was leaving now. A tear dropped down from Raven's damp eyes. When she glanced over at Chelsea, she noticed her eyes were getting red, too.

Then, Eddie's dad turned around and saw the two girls.

"Hi, gals!" He said cheerfully.

"Hey, Mr. Thomas." Raven said to the jolly old man.

"Why, girls! You two look so glum. May I ask why that is?"

"Why we're glum? Mr. Thomas! Our best buddy is moving away! Eddie can't go!" Chelsea practically yelled.

The man looked mighty surprised. His smiling face turned into a face that was expressionless.

Chelsea dropped to the ground and moaned, "_WWWHHHHYYYY_?"

Raven grabbed Chelsea and whispered fiercely through her tears, "Girl, quit it."

"Listen, Raven. Chelsea," started Mr. Thomas, " I hate it here where we live. I love it in Montana. It's beautiful. That's the place I have always wanted to live. And now I can. Girls, you can always talk on the phone and talk through the mail with Eddie. There is absolutely no reason why your friendship would be ruined."

"I know…I know…" Raven broke down and just wanted to leave. She held on tighter to her books and walked quickly out of the office door. Her mind was buzzing. "Eddie's gone. I'll never see him again. Not for a million years. He's gone. History. I miss Eddie. Am I being over dramatic? No. I can't be. Oh, I want to see him sooo much. Why does his stupid dad hate it here anyway? He's just doing this for himself. He doesn't care about ANYONE but himself. I hate Mr. Thomas." She could hear Chelsea calling her name behind her, but she didn't care. Raven barged right into the girl's bathroom and wept.


	4. Only 2 years plus Animal Shelter Mishap

Monday afternoon, Raven rushed through the door to her kitchen at top, raging speed. She was so relieved to be home, away from all the people who'd ask about her tears. Over and over. It was them trying to be friendly by asking, 'Are you okay?', but it was actually quite annoying.

She threw her book bag on her floor and reached for her phone. Her bedroom was nice and cozy, and quiet. Relieved to be home, she snuggled in with her pillows and blankets and started dialing Eddie's phone number.

Raven put the phone to her ear, and waited for a response at the other line. It rung. And rung. And rung some more. She heaved a sigh. When the answering machine came on she just hung the phone back on the hook. It was perfectly useless.

She wasn't in the mood to call Chelsea, or to do her homework at all. She ate her dinner and put on a fake smile for her family so they wouldn't complain and nag, 'What's wrong?' the whole time.

At eight o'clock, when she finally could put down her annoying pen because her frustrating homework was complete, she layed back on her pillows and reflected on her day. It was a start of the week. First she saw Eddie's deserted locker. Then she was late to homeroom and Mr. French practically ate off her head about it. After that, she ran into Mr. Thomas, who was obviously not in any state to change his mind about moving. She'd been teary all day and it was embarrassing. Plus, when she got home and called Eddie, he wasn't home. She hadn't reached him for three days and it was annoying her very much. It was scaring her a lot, too.

She figured she could give it another shot and she'd call Eddie. She picked up her phone and once more dialed his number. It rung. It rung some more. Raven was about to hang up the phone when she heard a voice at the other end of the line say:

"Hello. Who's this?" The voice sounded like….EDDIE!

"Eddie? It's me, Raven!" Raven said, hopping off her bed and holding the receiver closer to her ear.

"Hey, Ray! What's up?" Eddie asked casually, as if he wasn't moving or anything.

"Nothing much. But, uh, I, uh, got a question." Raven answered.

"Yeah, sure. What is it?" He asked, even more casually than before.

"I had a vision that you were, uh, moving? And I saw your dad at the school office, too, and um, he said you guys were moving to Montana." Raven sorta stuttered through that.

"Yeah, Ray. We are moving. To Montana. I don't want to go, though. I'm just acting excited because Dad's excited and I can't let him down…ya know?" Eddie's words struck Raven. So he truly really honestly WAS moving to Montana. She had a hard time believing it before. But now it was the truth.

"NO! You can't go Eddie! No! You can't! Why didn't you call me about this, Eddie? Friends tell each other everything, and you didn't tell me this! I had to ask you about it! Why didn't you call me sooner!" Raven exploded. "When are you leaving? Please, though, don't leave-"

"Ray, Ray! Calm down!" Eddie interrupted.

"No, Eddie! How can I calm down?" Raven started welling up with big juicy tears again.

"Listen, Raven. It's not a big deal."

"Not a big deal, Eddie? You're leaving me and Chels! We'll never see each other again!" She was getting agitated with his good spirit in this tragic time.

"Raven, will you listen to me?" Eddie was getting impatient.

"What? What could you possibly say to make me feel better right now? Why aren't you even angry sounding! You're moving to Montana, for crying out loud! What about having stores around every corner and going to fun parties on Fridays? You're just leaving that all behind to see a deer in your backyard! You're even leaving ME behind!"

"Raven, you're a drama queen. Listen to me! For one, I can't help where I'm moving. It's all up to my dad, right now, okay? And for two, it may not be that bad. I mean, who knows? I'm sure you've never stepped a foot in Montana, so how can you go around judging it! And for THREE, I'm not staying forever! Surprisingly, I'm coming back! So stop whining and complaining. Although, I know it's hard for you to leave my good looks, Ray." Eddie chuckled.

There was a silence as Raven soaked up everything he just said to her. Woah.

"Oh, yeah, Eddie. Your looks are just too amazing to leave." Raven said jokingly.

"But, Eddie, when are you leaving? And, when are you coming back?" Raven asked.

"When am I leaving? Hmmmm…maybe next week or so. I'm not going to school though 'cause my dad wants us to all stay home, relax, and pack the house up. And when am I coming back? Uhhhh… next year or maybe the year after that. Sorta a long time, but hey, I'm coming back at least! My mom hates this idea, but my dad is DYING for it, so we're going for just a little bit. Sorta strange, but my dad is too in love with the idea for my mom to say 'no'. So, whatever. I'm just going along with it." Eddie answered.

"But, hey, Ray? I gotta get going. My family wants me to get off the phone. I'll call you back, alright?"

"You _better_ call me back!" Raven said with a smile. "Bye Eddie!"

"Bye Raven." With that he hung up the phone.

Raven sat on her bed, holding the phone to her heart. She was so amazingly relieved that he staying in Montana. Phew! But, still, she sure would miss him while he was gone! She had to call Chelsea and tell her the good news about Eddie coming back!

She dialed in the phone number with much agility (what girl doesn't learn to punch in her best friend's number at 100 mph?) and waited for somebody to pick up. At the second ring, she heard Chelsea's mom pick up the phone.

"Hi, Mrs. Daniels! It's Raven. Can I speak to Chelsea, please?" She was twiddling with the phone's cord as she talked.

"Raven, dear! Chelsea can't talk right now, sorry honey. Actually, I don't think my Chelsea will be able to talk for awhile." It was quiet for a minute, when Mrs. Daniels finally added, "My daughter is in the hospital."

"WHAT? Why? Is she okay, Mrs. Daniels?" Raven felt her stomach drop a mile a minute into her feet.

"Well, if she was okay, honey, she would be at home right now." Mrs. Daniels did a nervous chuckle.

"Well, Mrs. Daniels! What happened?" Raven's eyes grew with surprise as Chelsea's mother told her what had happened.

"Raven, dear. Oh, it's horrible! My poor baby is in the hospital!" Mrs. Daniels whined into the phone. She sniffled to regain herself. "I'm sorry, Raven. I now you don't want to hear me moan and groan. Anyhows, my daughter was working at the animal shelter, like she always does on Monday afternoons. You knew about that, right?"

Raven nodded, as if Mrs. Daniels could see her on the other end of the line.

"Well, she was working with this German Shepherd, who had been taken in from an abusive home. You know how it is, wild families may make the dog itself wild. Chelsea was going to work with the dog, you know, give it some treats and a nice bath. Hugs and kisses. My Chelsea just loves animals. She was just doing her job. When she bent down to give the dog some bacon, the dog snapped it from her hand with a snarl and slit some of her fingers with his big snarly, mean dog, teeth. My poor, poor baby. Well, then she bent down some more, because she's just so gosh darn brave, to give the dog a pat on the head to calm the mean ol' mutt down. Well, the dog…the dog…" Mrs. Daniels left Raven curious.

"Oh, Mrs. Daniels! I'm so sorry! Um, well, I'll let you be. Is she in the hospital over in Leximstout?"

"Yes…yes she is. Goodbye Raven. I don't want to be rude, but I have to get down to the hospital to check on my baby." Mrs. Daniels hung up the phone.


	5. Ravens Reputation Ruiner

Raven wanted terribly to go down to Leximstout and check on Chelsea in the hospital, but it was nine o'clock on Monday night, and she knew as a fact that her parents wouldn't let her leave the house. She assured herself that after school the next day, she'd go straight to the hospital in a bus and she'd be there around three.

She tried to sleep that night, but had little luck. She only got about fours hours of satisfied rest, and was exhausted on Tuesday morning.

Her mom shook her awake with much force, and Raven slumped out of bed at six o'clock. She put on a pair of jeans with a purple t-shirt and had her hair up in a high ponytail. She ate half a piece of toast, one sip of orange juice, and packed her book bag. By seven that Tuesday morning, Raven was out of the house.

Her and Corey walked to school. Corey's school sat only two blocks away from Raven's, and she had to walk him to junior high before she could set off to high school.

As they walked along the sidewalk, Corey started off today's conversation:

"So, Raven. I heard you were talking to Chelsea's mom last night. Too bad, huh?" Corey said to Raven.

"Corey…how'd you know I was talking to Chelsea's mom yesterday?" Raven eyed him suspiciously, but kept on walking.

"No…I heard you talking to her…last night. Too bad about Chelsea." Corey stuttered.

"Oh, I see. And, Corey? How'd you know anything was wrong with Chelsea and that it was 'too bad'?"

"Oh, I think I'm turning into you Raven. I think I can see the future now." Corey lied.

"Uh, huh. Sure."

"Yep, that's right."

"Corey. You little sneaker! You were eaves dropping, weren't you? You are impossible, you really are! How'd you know I wasn't saying anything that's actually private?" Raven stopped in her tracks and stared Corey down.

He put up his hands as if to surrender and added, "Hey, hey! I heard you in your room when you were on the phone and I noticed you mentioned Chelsea's name. You know I can't resist her!" Corey chuckled and kept on walking as if he hadn't done anything bad and the subject could drop.

Raven barged right up next to him and grabbed his hand. It was payback time.

"Uh…Raven? Why are you holding my hand?" His eyes were wide and his eyebrows were high up on his forehead.

"'Cause I just love my baby brother, and I want him to get safely to school." She said in her best baby voice she could manage. She tugged his cheek and smiled. "Come on, baby Corey. Be careful crossing the street."

They crossed the street, and Corey's school was on the other side. Her purpose? To embarrass him. If he was going to listen in on her conversations, then she'd give him a taste of his own medicine by giving him hugs and kisses right in front of his classmates. Was it too harsh? Of course not!

"Raven, let go of my hand! Come on!" He squealed in the middle of the road. He twisted and turned his body, trying to get out of his big sister's grasp.

"Now, now. You have to be safe before I know I can let go of my little, baby, cute, brother!" Raven cooed.

"LET GO OF ME!" He whispered fiercely when they were on the other side of the road.

Target. The schoolyard sat only three feet away, and his buds were all in it, pointing and laughing at Corey.

"But, Corey! Don't you want me to bring you to your classroom so you don't get lost?" Raven asked.

He stared at her with angry eyes that said she would be in big trouble when he got home from 6th grade.

Raven sighed and kneeled down on her knees to look up into her brother's eyes, still holding his hand.

"Okay, Corey. I'll let you go off now into the dangerous, scary, lonesome world." She pulled on his cheek and kissed his forehead.

"Bye, bye! Oh, and don't eavesdrop on me ever, ever again!"

She left him standing there by himself on the sidewalk, realizing that she was really late again for homeroom. Great, now she'd be tarter sauce with Mr. French if she wasn't on time for the second day in a row. When she glanced back one more time to see if Corey had gotten inside, she noticed him standing with his friends that were laughing, but Corey wasn't laughing. No, his head was down and he had his arms crossed across his chest. Great. She had a feeling those friends of his were laughing at him and he was extremely embarrassed. She stopped for a second, looking back at the little school yard. Corey looked up and met Raven's sorry eyes. He just left. Walked right inside. Head down. His friends laughing.

Later, after school, instead of going right straight to the hospital to check on Chelsea, she went to Corey's school. She decided she'd walk him home and they'd have a talk. About the morning. When she arrived at the school yard, it was full of kids. She looked around and noticed Corey with his group of pals over near the corner of the school. Corey looked as if he'd forgotten about the morning 'incident' and he also looked as if he were rather enjoying himself.

"Corey! Over here!" Raven hollered across the schoolyard.

He looked up and around, hearing his name being called but not knowing where it was coming from.

"Corey!" Raven called again.

He spotted her, and looked away really fast. It was too late, though. His other buds noticed Raven and gave Corey a playful punch, saying something. Raven was too far away to see what that one kid said to her brother. But, what ever he had said make Corey angry and he started yelling. Then the group started laughing.

Raven realized she'd probably embarrassed Corey again. She really hadn't mean to do that. She just wanted to walk home with him and talk things out. She turned around before she could possibly do anymore and headed for the hospital. She felt so sad and she felt oh so bad to have done that to Corey, though. She would definitely make that up to him.


	6. Room C24 and the Idiotic Mutt

**TO MY READERS:**_ I am sorry that Chapter 6 ("**Room C24 and the Idiotic Mutt**") is so late on coming out! I had a busy few days and I had absolutely no time to write my next edition to the story! But, no fear, because I didn't forget! I wrote it up today and I'm posting it today! (**Remeber where we left off**:_ Raven embarassed Corey on purpose because Corey eaves dropped on her phone call, but then she felt bad about it. After school she heads to the Leximstout Hospital to check on her pal Chelsea because she was attacked by a wild dog at the animal shelter **Enjoy!**

**-Cate, aka MagentaButterfly92**

Raven got to the Leximstout Hospital by four, and she ran to the lady at the front desk.

"Hi. I'm here to visit Chelsea Daniels. Can you please tell me what room she is in?" Raven said, leaning over the front desk.

"Ummm. Hold on, dear." She flipped through her record book, typed the name 'Daniels, Chelsea' into the computer, clicked on a few buttons, then looked back up at Raven.

"Alrighty! Chelsea is in room C24! But, young lady, what is your name?" The skinny lady at the front desk asked.

"Raven. Raven Baxter." With that, the old, scrawny women picked up a huge, chunky phone and dialed in the number 1-CCC-2424. She asked the person who picked up on the other end if the patient knew a 'Raven Baxter'.

After a minute or so, she 'okay-ed' the fact that Raven could visit her friend.

Raven walked on. Wow! This hospital was huger than huge! Hallways this way in that! It was a regular maze! She was in the A section. Room A1…A2….A3. She looked at the signs of numbers and letters plastered to each closed door.

Finally, on the third floor, Raven was in the C section. Room C19….Room C20….Room C21….C22……C23……ROOM C24! She was there! She felt like barging into the hospital room, but instead contained herself and gently knocked on the door.

"Raven? Is that you? Come in!" She heard Chelsea cry with happiness.

Raven slowly opened the door, getting herself prepared to see how bad Chelsea could've gotten in the 'incident'. The door swung on the hinges in full motion. There was Chelsea. Lying in the bed, surrounded by stuffed toys. Chelsea looked………how could Raven put it? Not good, that was for certain.

"GIRL! CHELS! ARE YOU OKAY?" Raven raced over to her fiery red headed friend and gave her a big, monstrous hug.

"Ow..ow. That hug hurt, Ray!" Chelsea giggled. "And, I'm fine, Raven! I know I don't look fine, but I sure feel it."

"Oh, girl, you don't know how glad I am to see you. I was worried sick, Chels!" Raven said with a warm smile and a playful swat on Chelsea's shoulder. Raven kneeled beside the big, springy bed.

"You don't know how glad I am to see you, Ray! This place is so dull. And all I see is my mother leaning over me saying '_Goochy Goo! Chelsea Woo_!'. That is so annoying." Chelsea sighed.

"Ugh! That sounds more embarrassing than annoying! Anyway, good news! Eddie's moving, but actually coming back!"

"Get out! Really? But when's he coming back?" Chelsea asked in wonder. "I mean, people don't move to just come back, do they?"

"Well, he's staying for like two years. Good thing, too. I didn't want him to be gone forever. Girl, that would be the worst thing in my life!"

"That's awesome! But, still, those two years will be so lonely and boring. We won't be the Three Musketeers anymore. We'll be the Two Rugrats, or something."

Raven giggled. She stood up from her kneeling position and sat on the side of Chelsea's bed.

"Well, Chelsea. It'll be fun being the 'Two Rugrats', I guess! But, still, I know exactly what you mean. We're both gonna miss Eddie. Obviously. I'm totally going to be calling his house every night while he's in Montana!"

"Me too! It's gonna cost to make long distant calls every night, Ray, though. That's the only bad part about it. Make sure he comes and visits me before he leaves, okay? I can't use any phones or nothing so you'll have to get him down here yourself. Please. Okay? Please." Chelsea's eyes were big with anxiousness. She wanted to seeEddie before it was too late, but she was much to beat up to leave this rubber glove smelling room.

"I will, Chels. I will. No matter what, Eddie will be down here before he's gone!" Raven was serious. She had to do this for both of her buddies!

"When are you getting out of this horrible place anyway!" Raven asked with a disgusted voice as she glanced at a stack of needles by the sink.

"I have no clue. Whenever my stupid dog bites start to heal. I got attacked so bad. You have literally no idea!"

"It looks like it hurts! You have a gash on every part of your body, Chels! Wow!" Raven said with amazement. She glanced and for the first time today actually noticed the big slash of skin missing on her cheek.

"Oooh! Chelsea! Your face! You…no…you'll…"

"I'll have scars. I'll have a huge scar right on my cheek. How totally embarrassing!"

Raven felt her pain. That _would be_ totally embarrassing. She didn't want to say it, but that would be one, big, juicy scar if she ever saw one! That cut ran from theside of her foreheaddown to her chin. It looked as if that dog and sawed his fangs into her temple and pulled all his front teeth slowly and painfully in a rapid manner down her delicate face. OUCH!

"And what happens to that idiot mutt?" Raven snapped with anger. She hated that dog for trying to kill her pal.

"And idiot MUTT? That dog was just abused and didn't know any better than to attack me, Ray! He was just scared!Don't you EVER call mypuppy an idiot mutt! Ever!"

"Woah, Chels! Well, sorry! Fine, in that case, what happened to that cute, little, snuggly, wuggly, innocent, dog?" She was getting frustrated. Really frustrated.

"Well, the dog is still there. In the animal shelter, I mean. Some person is going to come to see if it is sick or anything or should be put…put…put..."

"Put down, Chels?"

Chelsea nodded with a sad expression. Raven just stared at the wall behind the headboard on the hospital bed. She hated that dumb dog. Hurting her friend. She could never forgive such an idiotic mutt like Chelsea could.

Raven glanced at her watch. Panic struck through her body. Oh, oh, no!

"Awww, SNAP! Chelsea, I've gotta get going! Feel better, girl!" She gave her friend one last squeeze that sent Chelsea into moans and groans of pain, then flew out the door. As she made her way down the hallway, she could hear Chelsea's faint voice calling from her small room:

"Remember, Ray! Remember! I gotta see Eddie before it is too late! Remember!"

It was 6 o'clock. Past her curfew on a school night – at least without telling her parents where she would be! She ran through the maze of hallways. She ran and flew and looked left and right. At the intersection of hallways, she forgot which way to turn. She had to get home before her parents went any more coo coo, but couldn't seem to find her way out of this jungle of rubber glove smelling rooms!


	7. The Book on Space and the Sporty Car

By 7 o'clock that Tuesday night, Raven burst open the living room door and found her family sitting together on the couch, watching their television.

She'd gone through way too much trouble to find her way out of that hospital, and then she had to find a way back home. She couldn't find a bus for twenty minutes! She was so glad to be home now, safe and sound.

"RAVEN! Honey!" Mrs. Baxter jumped up from the couch and scooted over to where Raven stood at the front door. Her mother gave her a warm hug that Raven actually liked.

"Where were you, young lady?" Mr. Baxter asked, getting up, too, from the sofa.

"Oh, well, it's a long story!" Raven laughed it off. She for some reason wanted to pass the subject and get to her homework and eat her dinner.

"Good, Raven! We all like long stories!" Corey piped up, still sitting on the couch. He wasn't facing her, his eyes were too glued to the television set.

"Okay. Ummm…well, I was going to walk Corey home earlier today after school."

"Why would I want to walk home with you!" Corey burst out. His eyes continued to stick to the TV, but his face was angry.

"Hey, it's not like I wanted to walk home with you, either!" Raven flashed back at her little brother.

"Then why'd you show up today?" Corey growled.

"Why? Because I HAVE to! I wouldn't if I didn't have to!" Raven lied.

"HEY! Okay, this is enough!" Mr. Baxter interrupted. "Go, on, Raven. Why else were you this late?" His voice was comforting, but at the same time very serious and disappointed.

"I went to the hospital."

Mrs. Baxter looked at her in great shock and dragged Raven into a humungous hug.

"Honey, what happened? Are you okay?" Mrs. Baxter asked, still holding her daughter like a grizzly bear holds it's cubs when a stranger approaches.

"I'm fine! Chelsea's the one hurt! She's in the hospital 'cause some dog bit her up at the animal shelter."

"No kidding! Is she okay?" Mrs. Baxter released her child, and Raven took a big gulp of air to revive her squished lungs.

"Oh, no! That's horrible!" Her dad said in surprise.

After she continued her story on poor Chelsea's attack, she ate dinner, took a shower, did her homework and was asleep by 9:30. And, boy, she sure slept like a baby!

The next morning, when Raven was walking Corey to school, it was silent. Currently, they both hated each other. Corey was still bothered with how Raven embarrassed him so bad the day before, and Raven was just angry with him in general. They hadn't said one thing to each other all morning, and they didn't plan to for the rest of their lives.

As they walked, Raven's mind was whisked out of the present and sent to the future. A vision. A disturbing one, too.

_Corey steps into the street at the intersection when Raven is looking the other way. A car comes racing at top, accelerated speed and slams into her brother. It's a mess. It's bad. Corey lies dead in the street._

Quickly, Raven was sent back to the present, just in time to see Corey take one step into the road. OH NO! She hears the rumble of the car about to fling itself around the corner. OH NO!

"Corey!" Raven screamed.

"Ugh! Raven, can't you ever let me do anything by myself? Oh, I'm sorry, I'm walking in the street without you holding my hand!" Corey scowled.

Frantically, Raven watched the car speed around the corner like in her vision and it was coming right at Corey, also like in her vision. Corey stopped in his tracks and looked at the sporty car flashing towards him.

Raven stepped into the street and with amazing strength, hurled her brother on the sidewalk. The car raced by where Corey was standing one second after. It all happened to fast. Raven felt faint.

"Corey! You're all right!" Raven cheered.

For once, Corey looked right into his big sister's eyes and then gave her a huge hug.

"Raven, you saved me!" Corey said, his face buried into his sister's autumn jacket.

Raven hugged him back, so glad that he was fine.

"I had a vision, Corey. That you died just then. Getting run over by that car."

Corey stopped hugging his sister and just smiled. He had totally forgotten that he was being cradled by his sister in public. The school was across the street from where all this action had happened. He saw his buddies snickering at him for hugging his sister, but he didn't mind today. His sister saved his life.

"Thank you so much!" He cried, and hugged her once more.

Raven was so glad to have Corey alive, and forgave him for the eavesdropping and everything else he had done.

She walked him across the street; making sure that this time he would make it across safely.

Corey walked into the schoolyard, and waved goodbye to Raven and thanked her once more.

He spotted his friends and walked over to them. They were all standing around the front steps.

"Hey, guys! What's up?" Corey asked his buds.

"Nothing! We were just watching you hug your big sis goodbye!" Todd answered.

"Yeah, what's with that?" Justin asked, with a mean laugh.

"Your sister is way too lame for you, Corey. Don't get all mushy with her." Dillon added.

"Hey, I don't know if you knew this, but my sister just saved my life! I almost died just now!" Corey said, his voice loud with anger.

"Oooh! Like brother, like sister!" Todd said, and the gang cracked up.

"What ever, guys. I think you are the ones here that are lame. I'm sick of you picking on me. That's so annoying, ya know." Corey spitted.

"Oh, is it really annoying? Poor Corey. Don't worry! Big sister Raven will make it all better!" Justin cooed in a baby voice.

"What ever, guys. I'm ditching you."

With that, Corey walked away and found his old friend, who was sitting on the outside step reading a book about space. He'd passed up this friend when he noticed Todd, Justin, and Dillon (the cool boys in the school)

"Hi William!" Corey said, sitting next to his old pal.

William adjusted his new glasses and smiled.

"Hi Corey!"

"What do you got there?" Corey asked, pointing to William's book on space.

"Oh, this thing? It's about the Universe. Doesn't the Universe just dazzle your brain?" William asked.

"Yeah, it's crazy big!" Corey added.

With that, Corey looked up at the clouds, glad that he could actually take another look at them. He realized then how lucky he was to be alive. How lucky he was to have a sister like Raven.


	8. Race for the Phone and the Last Eddie

Wednesday night, at the dinner table, Raven and Corey kept his 'incident' a secret. Their mom and dad would blow their stacks if they'd known that Corey almost died in a car accident.

They were trying out Mr. Baxter's new invention of a supper: Chicken covered in some sorta sauce with little seasonings sprinkled all over it, orange mashed potatoes, with peas and carrots in a different kind of sauce. Raven loved it. It was delicious.

As she chowed down on her chicken, the phone rang.

Corey and Raven both jumped from their seats and screamed, "I'LL GET IT!"

They raced for the phone, shoving each other everywhere so that they might get a better chance of picking it up. Unfortunately for Raven, Corey was the 'lucky' one and he picked it up. Well, actually _snatched_ it.

"_Ha!_" Corey mouthed at his sister as he listened to the person on the other end.

"Yeah, sure. Hold on a minute, Eddie." Corey said with a frown. He probably wished the call were for him.

He handed the phone to Raven.

"It's Eddie." Corey exclaimed.

Raven's heart thumped. He actually called back! She grabbed the phone away from her brother and walked the cordless into the living room. As soon as she sat down on the big recliner chair, she answered.

"Hi, Eddie!" Raven said with much happiness.

"Hey, Ray! I told ya I'd call you back."

"Thanks."

"No problem. Anyway, we're leaving tomorrow morning!"

"What!" Raven's heart beat even faster than before. Tomorrow? That was way, way too soon.

"You cannot be serious! Oh no!"

"Yeah, I'm serious alright." Eddie's voice sounded low.

"What about Chelsea? She wanted to see you so bad before you left! **_I_** wanted to see you so bad before you left!"

"I saw Chelsea today. In the hospital. Her mom called me and asked if I could come down to see her. Man, though, she didn't look so good. She's all bit up and eaten from that stupid dog."

"I know she is. It's horrible. Well, I'm glad you saw her, but what about me? I have to say a real goodbye. Not just over the phone, though. I gotta see you in person! Before you move…"

"I know, I know. Hey, maybe you could come over tonight! Just for a little while, though. I don't wanna be tired for my 'big day'."

"You think? Please? Oh, I'd love that!"

"Sure, like my parents care right now. They're just eating and sleeping. Come on over."

Raven felt good and bad at the same time. She had to go, but then it would be so depressing the whole time because it would be the last she'd see of him for two years!

"I'll be right over!" She hung up the phone and put her hand to her forehead. Oh, gosh. Oh gosh, oh gosh, oh gosh. He was leaving tomorrow. For what would seem like forever.

She rushed to the kitchen, finished her chicken with one gulp and grabbed her light jacket.

"Bye Mom! Bye Dad! Going to Eddie's!" Raven squeezed out the kitchen door before her mother could deny it and make Raven stay home.

She jumped on her bike and rushed down to her friend's house.

In five minutes, she was knocking on Eddie's door.

"Hey!" Eddie said with a smile as he opened the door to find Raven standing there in the light. It was dark out, and the light outside the house was all that allowed Raven to see.

Something came over Raven, and she just wanted a hug from her friend.

"Hi Eddie!" She stepped into the living room as he gestured her in.

"Wow, this place is so empty! It doesn't even look like your house anymore!" Raven glanced around the room. Everything was in boxes. It was empty. Completely empty.

"Tell me about it. It doesn't even feel like home!"

"It's sorta scary…" Raven shuddered at the dim room. All the family pictures weren't on the walls, the comfortable couch was replaced with boxes labeled all different names, and the television was by the door now.

Eddie laughed at this and they went into his bedroom, just like they always did when she came over.

His room was even worse. Only his bed was there.

"This is my room. Different, huh?" Eddie asked, looking at Raven's surprised, but yet sad, face.

"Different? It isn't even your room! It sure doesn't look like it, at least."

His room only held his bed. His closet was empty, his nightstand was gone, and even his curtains had disappeared. It was dark in there, too. It was only lit up by the hallway's light.

"Oh, Eddie! I don't want you to leave." Raven bit her lip trying to contain herself.

"I don't wanna leave, either."

Tears welled up in her eyes. This was too much to handle.

"Ray? Are you crying?" Eddie asked. It was too hard to tell in this light.

"I'm fine." She mumbled. It was so obvious she was weeping. Her voice quivered and her breathing was getting louder.

"No, you're not fine. I know you, Raven."

He walked slowly closer to her.

Eddie took her in his arms and just hugged her. Raven felt much better having him there. She hugged him back. She let her tears flow. Raven didn't care anymore. She just cried. Just hugged and cried.


	9. Is That Chelsea?

Later, on Saturday morning, Raven sat on her bed. She had woken up an hour ago, but hadn't left her pillows and blankets. Why? Because she was deep in thought.

Eddie had now left for Montana, and Chelsea had gotten out of the hospital the day before. Corey was having William over today, and Raven had nothing to do, and nobody to talk to. And why did she have nobody to talk to? Because Chelsea's mother had taken her out for a day of shopping, and Raven's parents were going to some tag sale to look and sell things. What was her point of even being awake?

She snuggled against her pillow, and thought some more. "_I miss Eddie! I wish those two years were up! This will be the worst two years of my life."_

The next thing she knew, she was asleep again. It had been one long week, so what do you expect? She dreamed a peaceful dream, and for the first time in awhile, she felt good. Good to be asleep, and good to be dreaming peaceful things. It was about her and Eddie and Chelsea all laughing together, happy as can be. They were sitting at their normal cafeteria table, looking at their 'so called' food, and laughing at it. Like the good old times.

_Knock! Knock!_

Raven awoke with a start. What was that?

_Knock! Knock!_

Where in tarnation was the sound coming from? She had no idea. Poor Raven was just too tired to notice somebody was knocking on her door.

Her mother peaked her head inside her room, and whispered, "Can I come in, sweetie?"

"Ya, sure, mom." Raven grumbled, wiping off the spit that had drooled out of her mouth while she was sleeping. She tiredly looked up at her mother.

"Are you okay? You have been sleeping all day! Your father and I are very worried about you!"

"I'm fine, Mom. You know how it is. It's just been a long week."

"You sure? Well, okay…." Tanya put her hand to Raven's forhead, checking to see if she may have a fever. " It's after lunch time right now, and me and your dad are going to that tag sale. We were wondering if you wanted to come along?"

"Oh, I don't know Mom. Is Corey going?" Raven secretly wanted to stay home in her pajamas, but at the same time knew it would be a good idea to get out of the house with her family.

"Well, if you come, he and William would come with us. If you don't come, you would be stuck home babysitting him. So, it's your choice. Either way, I think you should at least get out of your p.j.'s and get some real clothing on. Okay?"

"Fine, Mom. I guess I'll come. Hold on a few minutes."

"Okay, honey. Thanks for coming with us." Her mom smiled warmly at her. She had wanted to spend some time with her daughter for awhile. Silently, Tanya left the room.

In fifteen minutes later, Raven was sitting in the middle row of the family van. She was all buckled in, to her mother's restrictions.

Corey and William were in the third row of seats, singing 99 Bottles of Coke on the Wall. Corey was singing to annoy Raven, and was it ever working. William was just singing for the pure fun of it. They were also laughing and pointing out the window at a big fat cow they were passing, still singing their hearts out. Gosh.

Her dad was driving, telling Tanya all about his new recipe that he'd think make the perfect family breakfast. Great.

Raven was sitting there, eyes half closed, trying to keep herself from yelling out her guts at Corey. His singing voice was driving her insane!

Finally, they reached the tag sale. It was in somebody's driveway. They pulled onto the side of the curb, along with all of the other cars.

"Here we are, kids!" Sang out Raven's dad. He jumped out of the car, and started toward the first table of junk.

Corey and William continued to sing as they got out of the car.

Raven just sat buckled in. She was too interested in watching the car that had pulled in after her family's van. It looked identical to Chelsea's. Was it…was it?

Chelsea stepped out of the car, smiling and looking much healthier than when Raven had seen her last. Quickly, Raven unbuckled her seat belt and jumped out of the car. Her family had already gotten lost in the crowd of buyers. But, Raven had to talk to Chelsea!

She jumped out of the car.

"Chelsea! Chelsea! Over here!" Raven shouted.

Chelsea looked around, trying to figure out where her name was being called from.

"Over here Chelsea!"

"Raven!" Chelsea spotted her friend and her whole face lit up even more than what it was like before.

Chelsea ran over to Raven and gave her a huge hug.

"I haven't seen you forever, girl! You look awesome! So much better than last time!"

"Thanks!"

"Come on, Chels! Let's go look at that old clothing stuff. Maybe we can make some cool outfit to wear."

"Okay!" They linked arms and walked off into the crowd of tag salers.

Maybe this year wouldn't be sooooo bad. Chelsea and her could maybe deal with the fact that Eddie moved together. It would be easier with a friend who was going through the same thing! Maybe…


	10. 2 Surprises for Ray and I'm not Sweetums

Saturday afternoon, after the tag sale, Raven had Chelsea come over to her house. If Corey could have William over, than Raven would have over her best friend, too.

As they piled into the mini van after the tag sale, Corey raised his eyebrows at Chelsea.

"You're coming home with us, Chelsea?" Corey asked, with a smile on his face.

"Yup!" Chelsea said, looking into the third row of seats of the van, where he sat. He was smiling at her. Chelsea rolled her eyes.

"I'm glad. I love it when you stay over, sweetums."

Chelsea turned around, and gave Raven a desperate look that said, '_EEEWWWW! Make your brother stop, **please! **He called me sweetums!**'**_

****"Corey, be quiet." Raven snapped to the back of the van.

"_Corey, be quiet_." Corey mimicked, making a stupid, scrunched up face. Then he started cracking up, and William just smiled, looking at his hands folded neatly in his lap.

"Time to get going! By the way, wanna stay for supper, Chelsea?" Mr. Baxter asked as he pulled the van onto the road.

Before Chelsea could answer, Corey piped up, "Well, of course she does! Don't you Chelsea?"

Chelsea gave a nervous giggle, and replied sweetly, "I'd love to stay! Thank you Mr. Baxter."

After that, Corey talked to William for the rest of the ride, and Raven talked to Chelsea.

In ten minutes, they were all stepping through the front door. Well, the family was. As for Chelsea and Raven, they were going to the mailbox. Once they got out of the car, they went back to the end of the driveway to look inside the box of mail.

Raven stuck her hand in and grabbed all the letters, bills, and magazines.

She skimmed through them.

"Letter to Mom, cable bill, some recipe for Dad to try."

Then she saw what she had been waiting for! She grabbed it and screamed a shriek of joy!

"Is that from Eddie? " Chelsea asked looking at what Raven was holding in her hand. Raven's face was lit up like a light bulb and she was fanning her face as if she was all of the sudden very warm.

"Its my fashion magazine! I ordered it like, five months ago! It finally came! Chels, you have no idea how hard it has been to wait for this thing to come" Raven held the magazine to her heart. "Girl, this calls for a celebration."

"Well, Raven. That sure is exciting, but is there anything from Eddie? I mean, he said he'd mail us as soon as he got to Montana, and its' been a week since he left. So you'd think he'd mail us-"

"A letter from Eddie!" Raven interrupted, grabbing the stranded letter she'd not seen in the mailbox.

"It is!" Chelsea grabbed it from Raven and tore it open. To see his handwriting made Chelsea feel really good. Really, really good. As if he hadn't moved.

"Well, read it out loud, Chels!" Raven practically screamed.

So she did. This is what it said:

_'Dear Raven,_

_Make sure Chelsea reads this too, okay? Anyway, I'm doing fine here in Montana. The air is sooo much cleaner, it's crazy! I can actually 'breathe' the difference! )_

_So…the ride here was wild, too. We got into a big family argument that lasted half the ride, and I hated it. We were crammed into the car for hours, and I had to go to the bathroom so bad! _

_Ummmm…the house is very 'countyrish' if that's even a word. It's small, with a rickety old porch, and we don't have any neighbors for a mile. But, man, I never saw my dad as happy as he is right now. I miss my room, and I miss you guys. I miss my other friends, and Mr. French, even! I never thought I'd miss your homeroom teacher as much as I do now! Haha!_

_Oh, and guess what I saw! A DEER in my front yard, just like my dad said we would. We saw it right when we pulled into the driveway! What do ya know! There it was. You should've seen my dad's face light up. _

_Anyway, I gotta admit I'm nervous for school. I mean, I feel so different. I'm from a city, and I don't know what they're like, since they're from here. Ya know? I mean, what do I expect? I feel like an outsider. Awww, man. _

_Write back, ok? Cause I feel like talking to somebody. Somebody other than Dad._

_Really wish you were here, cause so far, I hate it. Nothing against Montana. I'm just not a country kind of guy._

_-Eddie_

Chelsea looked up at Raven when she finished. Raven's eyes were big and wide, probably just like Chelsea's. Wow. So he hated it. Chelsea would love it, but he hated it. It would be a long two years for him _And_ them.

"Ray, we gotta write back!"

"I know we do. Poor guy. All alone in the woods." Raven said, holding her fashion magazine closer to her heart.

"Come on. Lets get inside. Let's write back right now. Together."

With that, the two girls walked inside the house to write up their letters. They missed Eddie more than anything. And they had no idea how much Eddie missed them.


	11. Introducing Ellie

Eddie opened his eyes to birds chirping that morning. Sunlight was streaming through the room, and the big tree outside of his window was a beautiful sight, if he did say so himself.

His bedroom contained a bed (the comfiest bed in Montana, that was for sure), a nightstand (which held his hair gel, a picture of Raven and Chelsea giggling at the camera, and a picture of his old house, so he'd never forget it), and there was a dresser (full of clothes, of course), and a navy blue rug on the floor. He'd had that blue rug for as long as he could remember, and boy, did it make him feel home sweet home!

Eddie, still in the bed, stretched his toes by wiggling them around, had a big yawn, and almost fell back asleep when his mother yelled, "BREAKFAST EVERYBODY! GET UP! I'TS TIME TO EAT!"

Eddie didn't want to get up, but that smell of bacon was too hard to resist. So, he got out of bed slowly, took his time, and in the next minute or so, he was seated at the kitchen table. Bacon, eggs, toast, orange juice, napkins, plates – this tiny table was covered with stuff!

"Uhh, Mom? Why'd you cook for us? I mean, come on, you always used to give us bars! What's with the buffet?" He looked up at his mother, confused. Mrs. Thomas was even wearing a polka dotted apron!

"Well, Eddie, I thought we could start out nice and fresh today! Besides, I'm in a good mood, so don't ruin it." She gave her son a big, fake smile.

"Okay, whatever." Eddie said, picking up the juicy bacon. Yum, yum, yum!

"Hold on Eddie, we have to wait for the others!" His mother snapped, snatching the bacon from his hand.

The next thing he knew, his dad swung open the kitchen door, smiling, breathing hard, and rosy cheeked.

"Hellllooo, family!" Mr. Thomas practically shouted. His deep voice boomed against the walls.

"Hi Dad. What are you doing outside? It's only eight in the morning, for crying out loud!" Eddie was glancing at the clock on the wall in shock. His father was the sleeping in type.

"Haha. Eddie, my son. There is always work to be done here on our property. We're in the country, remember." Mr. Thomas was wearing overalls, big work boots, and a big hat to shield his eyes from the sun. It looked like a sombrero, it was so wide on the brim!

Then, little Ellie, who never talked, came sulking out of her own bedroom, giving the others a lonely smile. She was only seven, and could she ever get a bad attitude.

"Hellllooo, daughter!" Mr. Thomas boomed again! He raced over and hugged his little girl.

"Dad, stop doing that 'hello' thing. You've already woke me up from it, ya know. It's so lame." Ellie snapped, wiggling herself out of her father's hug.

"Sorry honey. Come on, Ell, let's eat that food!" He grabbed her daughter's hand and pulled her into the chair next to him, smiling all the way.

So, the foursome sat down to their early morning meal, and dug in. Mr. Thomas shoveled it into his mouth, claiming they all should too, since they'll be working hard on the garden outside today and needed their energy. Eddie gulped his juice down and always needed refill (it was a long ride, you know!). Ellie took dainty bites, and by the time breakfast was over, she hadn't even eaten half of what was on the plate. And, as for Mrs. Thomas, she just smiled at Eddie and her husband lugging down everything she had made. She only gave Ellie a little glance and a sweet smile. But, Mrs. Thomas barely ate her own food herself. She just loved seeing her family so happy, even though Ellie seemed angry all of the time, she knew she must've been a tiny bit happy.

After breakfast, they all set to their own things: Ellie to her room to hide from the work in the garden, Eddie to the living room to watch his Sunday morning shows, Mrs. Thomas stayed in the kitchen to clean up, and Mr. Thomas raced outside to his fresh air. They stayed apart all day, just like that. Occasionally, though, Mr. Thomas would come inside and ask if Ellie or Eddie wanted to help, but they both said 'no'. So, he worked alone for that day, not caring at the least. He just whistled tunes, and felt like he was home again.

By one in the afternoon, Mrs. Thomas came to the living room and sat down on the couch next to Eddie.

"So, Eddie, how do you like it here in Montana?" she asked.

He shrugged his shoulders and kept his eyes on his favorite show. He'd been waiting all week for this, and he wasn't going to miss it for the world.

"Can you keep a secret, Eddie?" his mother asked, sounding teary.

"Ya, sure." Eddie managed to say, eyes still on the television set.

"Good, cause I need to tell somebody this!" She began to weep, and Eddie had no choice other than to turn off the TV set to see if his mother was okay.

"Mom, what's wrong?"

"I hate this place! Don't tell your father, but this place is horrible! I need to go back to the city again! I'm going to go crazy living here for t…t…two years!' She burst into a waterfall.

Eddie wasn't expecting this, and all he knew what to do was to give her a huge hug. Poor, poor, Mom.

"I hate it too, Mom. I miss Raven and Chelsea. And everybody else."

"Oh, I know you do. They were such sweet girls."

"You'll be okay, Mom. Hey, at least we are going back, right?" Eddie asked.

"Ya, it's just…it's just…." She wiped her eyes and continued, " It's just two years in the country is too long for me. I'm a city girl."

Mr. Thomas burst into the kitchen. He heard voices in the living room, so he boomed across the house and followed the trail of the voices.

"Hi Dad." Eddie said, as his father walked into the living room. Mrs. Thomas quickly put on a fake smile and got up and hugged her husband.

"Hey, sonny boy!"

"Why are your eyes all red? Are you okay, Caroline?" Mr. Thomas asked his wife.

"Oh, yeah! I'm fine! I think I just may have allergies to something out here, so my eyes got teary. That's all it is." She lied.

"Oh, I'm sorry. That's too bad. Hey, I have a question to ask you about this garden. Here, I gotta show this _thing _to you. It's the weirdest bug I ever saw and it's sitting in _our _garden. Maybe you'll know what it is." With that, the two left the room, letting Eddie finish watching the best show on TV.

That night, it was way too hard to fall asleep. His first day of school was the next day! Could he possibly make it? He had no idea, whatsoever! Stay tuned to see how it goes!


	12. The Fireman Who Saved His Life

The first day of school didn't happen like Eddie thought it would. Not at all. No, it was totally unexpected…

Eddie fell asleep around midnight. He had not been able to sleep because of his new school. He was nervous. Really nervous! Who wouldn't be?

But, he didn't sleep for long. Screams and shouts of terror filtered into his ears, causing him to awake in an instant. He glanced at his clock. 5:46. What was going on at this time of morning? It was dark and chilly outside, but his house was unusually warm.

He looked around, wondering what could possibly be happening! Shouts and yells. It was freaking him out.

"HELP!" He heard Ellie screech.

Eddie pushed the covers off his feet and opened his door. What he saw made him feel faint. Shivers ran up and down his back. Down the hallway from his bedroom he saw fire lighting up the whole rest of the house! What if Ellie was locked in her room from the fire! Where was his mother? Where was his father? The burst of flames was rushing down the hallway, towards Eddie's bedroom with much speed.

"EDDIE! WHERE'S MY SON?" He heard his mother cry.

"SON! CLIMB OUT YOUR WINDOW! FAST!" Eddie's father hollered over the crackling fire. His voice sounded far away.

"Okay, I've gotta do this. I'll be fine. Don't panic." Eddie said to himself. Flames were rushing fast towards his room. He slammed the door and ran to his window.

He tried to pull open the window, but it wouldn't budge. Oh no. The window was stuck. No matter how hard he pulled on it, it sat right where it was. Then he thought he must just be weak, but it wasn't that. It was glued tight and not even a professional wrestler could open it up.

His room immediately felt a hundred degrees warmer. He looked behind him, and noticed that the fire had slashed down his door, burning it to nothing on its way. Rapidly, it was working its way towards Eddie.

His rug had vanished under the fire's evil feet. His rug! The one he had always had! Now the blaze of heat was tearing his bed apart. It was working its way up the walls. Things crashed from the ceiling. Smoke filled his lungs. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't get the stubborn window open. If that window didn't open, his life would end!

Thankfully, he heard sirens. The sound of their help was growing louder every second. _What if they don't know where I am, though? What if they don't even know I'm stuck in here! What if they're too late!"_ He thought quickly.

He looked out the window and saw his father running towards the window, with Mrs. Thomas running behind him, crying harder than he'd ever see her cry.

Mr. Thomas was right outside the window now. Eddie looked out at him, coughing up smoke.

His father motioned for him to move a little to the side of the window. Of course, Eddie didn't want too, for there was fire swarming around him and he was afraid to even budge. But, he did as his father asked.

Then, a fireman who came out of absolute nowhere smashed the window open, sending glass all over his room. Some glass cut Eddie's arm, but he didn't even notice it.

The fireman leaped in the window, and grabbed Eddie. He picked him up, thankfully, because Eddie was about to pass out from the smoke, and carried him back out the window.

Eddie coughed and hacked. He looked at his hands, and they were black with gunk. His arm had a big gash on it, with some glass caught inside of the bloody mess. He looked up at the man who had just saved his life. That guy was sorta scary looking with his gas mask on. Then he saw his mother weeping over him. Mr. Thomas was by Ellie, who looked mortified. Her eyes looked so gray and big, she looked blind. Her face had wet blotches all over it, and he suspected she was getting over tears.

Eddie was placed in the ambulance, and the next thing he knew, all was black. He'd passed out as soon as he was laid down in the big van.


	13. The Cell and The Concerned Voices

Eddie woke up at noon that Monday. White walls surrounded him, and so did his family. They all sat on scrawny metal chairs that lined the wall next to him.

"Eddie! You're awake, now!" Mrs. Thomas jumped up from her chair and kissed her sons forehead.

"Are you feeling well?" she asked him.

Eddie was feeling fine, except for his burned skin and his smoked sore throat. Oh, and the deep, bloody gashes on his arm from the shattering glass was a little painful, too. Other than that, though, he was fine.

"I feel horrible, Mom. Am I in the hospital?" Eddie groaned.

"Yes, you are, sonny boy. And your in luck." Mr. Thomas answered, seeming glum as he got up from his chair to come over and sit closer to his son's bed.

"Huh? Why am I in luck, Dad?"

"We're moving back home."

"Home? As in Montana? Or back to where we used to live?"

"Back to where we used to live. You happy? I had a feeling the whole family hated it here in Montana, anyway. So, now that our house is nothing but a bit of charcoal on the side of the road, we might as well move back home."

"Really? Are you serious! Are you sure? I mean, I'm perfectly fine with living here. I like the 'wilderness' feeling of it all." Eddie lied.

"Yeah, he's serious! Don't get him to change his mind, Eddie. We'd all hate you for it." Ellie piped up from the seat next to the door.

Eddie smiled, so relieved to be going home. That's where he wanted to be right now. Back home!

"Can we make a phone call? I have to call Raven and Chelsea!" Eddie said, trying to sit up in the bed, but got pushed back down gently by his mother.

"When you are better, you can use the phone. Until then, you should lay here. Your burns are pretty bad, Eddie. But, you'll be fine." His mother said, running her hand through his hair. "But, we did get a letter in the mail today from them. Your father went to check up on the house, and saw the mailbox made it through the fire. So, he got the mail for us, and their letter was part of it."

"Can I read it?" Eddie asked, feeling excited.

"Don't move a muscle. It's best if you just lay here. I'll read it for you." Mrs. Thomas said. Man, she was acting as if he was dying, or something.

She picked up the purple envelope and unsealed it. Then, she took out the pretty pink paper, and giggled at the cartoon Raven must've drawn of a smiley face on the side. She began reading it:

_Dear Eddie,_

_Don't be nervous for school! It'll be fun! Trust us! I bet the people in Montana are nice, anyway. Just get through the classes, and along the way you'll make tons of friends! I mean, who wouldn't want to be friends with you? You are the nicest and funniest person we know! Be yourself, and nothing will go wrong._

_So…how are you doing? The two of us are fine! The only thing that is sad for us is that you're gone. If you were here with us, then everything would be perfect! The weather here is nice. Just right! What could possibly be better? It's in the seventies, the sun is shining, there is a slight, very slight breeze that feels good after walking Corey to school, and guess what! Mr. French is giving us less of a hassle because Chelsea and I gave him a 'Sorry for Being Late To Homeroom Again' card! He absolutely loved it! _

_Corey misses you, too. He thought of you like a big brother, and my dad misses you because you always loved his food. My mom wishes you were here, because she thinks you are the 'sweetest little thing'! And, of course, Chels and I wish you were back, too! Say 'Hi' to your family for us!_

_Always thinking of you,_

_Chelsea and Raven_

When Mrs. Thomas finished, she looked up from the letter at Eddie. He was smiling wide. She hadn't him seen him so happy since they left for Montana.

"Those girls are so friendly!" She said cheerfully.

"I wish I could call them! I want them to know so bad that I'm coming home." He pleaded, looking at his mother.

"Oh, honey. I don't know. I think you should just - "

"Sure, make a phone call!" Mr. Thomas interrupted. Then he turned to his wife and added, "He's fine. It's not like he's about to peal over and die! He can talk on a phone, if anything!"

"Then let me talk to Lara and Mellie. And while I'm at it, I guess I can tell Julia and Kristina that I'm coming back too! Oh, plus Willie and Jeff should know, also!" Ellie said in a loud and excited voice.

"Woah! No, no. You can pick two people to call, Ellie! That's it! If Eddie can talk to Chelsea and Raven, then you can pick two people too! I don't need my cell phone taken up the whole day!" Mr. Thomas answered his daughter.

She just looked at him. Usually, she'd fight for her phone calls, but she was too lazy and tired right now. She just slumped in the chair and looked angry again.

So, Mr. Thomas took his cell from his pocket and gave it to his son, who snatched it quickly, as if it were going to disappear and he'd never get another chance to talk to his pals again.

"Since we're a few hours in difference to them 'cause of time zones and all, they'd be out of school right now. It's safe to call." Mr. Thomas noted, glancing at the clock and nodding.

Eddie dialed Raven's house first. Usually, Chelsea was over anyway, so he hoped he'd reach both of them at once.

The other end rung…and rung…and rung…

"Hello?" Raven asked into the phone.

"Ray? This is Eddie!"

"Oh my goodness! It's you! It's you! How are you Eddie? Wait…hold on! Chelsea's over and I wanna get her a phone so we can all talk together!"

In a few seconds, all three of them were on the phone together.

"Hey Chelsea! You know, its me, Eddie, right?"

"Well, yeah, silly! I still can't believe you called! We miss you!" Chelsea exclaimed over the phone.

"I miss you guys too! Hey, great news! I'm moving back! Really, really soon! Something huge came up!"

"You're coming back? Oh my gosh! When? What happened? Oh my gosh!" Raven screeched on top of her lungs.

"We had a fire. Our house actually burnt down! I'm in the hospital right now, actually!"

"Oh! Golly! What happened? Are you okay!" Chelsea screeched.

"I'm fine…I'm fine. It's a long story…"

"Well, we've got all day!" Raven said concerned.

"Of course we do! Tell us what happened!" Chelsea added in agreement.

Eddie was so glad to hear their voices again. Their voices were so nice, so concerned, and they made him smile. He could just imagine the two of them; sitting on Raven's bed with two different phones plugged against their ears. He couldn't wait to see them again.


	14. The End

That spring, Chelsea and Raven sat in the living room. They were waiting. Waiting for Eddie to scoot over to Raven's house so that they could all go to the beach together.

_Knock! Knock!_

Chelsea jumped up and opened the front door, very excited to see Eddie. It wasn't for the first time since he had moved, but Chelsea was always so happy to see Eddie after all of the incidents that have happened over the past months. She liked to know her pals were all right and they were with her.

"Hi Eddie!" Chelsea said, showing off her pearly white teeth in a flashy smile.

"Hey, Chels! You ready to go?" He asked, peering into the living room to see if Raven was set to leave also.

"We sure are!" Raven announced, leaping from the couch to come to the front door.

"Cool! Let's get going, then!" Eddie replied.

Eddie turned and walked towards his bike, that was sitting on the sidewalk.

The two girls followed him.

After Chelsea and Raven got their bikes out of the garage, they glided down to the beach (only a few blocks away). On the way, they all laughed and had a great time. Just like the old days when they'd do this every spring and summer.

Now, Eddie's family had a house right between Chelsea and Raven's. It was a new one. Just built, actually! And it was much better than his last one! His room was as bigger than his old one, and his bathroom was twice the size of the dirty bathroom in Montana!

He had his locker back at school, and now joined his two best friends in Mr. French's homeroom. Even though he had the ugliest, meanest teacher ever in the morning, he didn't mind. He was just glad to be back with his friends.

His skin was better, after all of the cold, soothing cream the nurse had told him to put on his burns. The gash on his arm from the glass was better, too. He had never been nearly so afraid as he was when his house burnt down, but his whole family was all right, and their little burns were better too.

As for the rest of the family:

Ellie is back in school, enjoying it a lot. She was actually excited to go! Eddie thought that school made her more of a pleasant person to be around, too. It seemed to lower her high attitude.

She always had friends over, and she seemed popular, now, as if she was a celebrity or something. The phone never stopped ringing for her, and it made the family insane! But, all in all, they were happy for Ellie. She seemed much happier here than in Montana.

Mr. Thomas missed his garden that he had worked so hard on, and missed the wildlife and trees, not to mention the fresh air. But, what could he do? The whole family loved it here better than there, and he loved more to see his family happy! Well, he'd survive, because he had a new job now that paid a good deal of dough, and all of his friends were back, too! Now he could have them over for the Super Bowl! Just like he used to!

And, last but not least, Mrs. Thomas is doing splendid! All is the way she could ever want it to be. She joined the Garden Club, she got a new job at the grocery store, and she made a new friend as well! Her friend's name was Louisa, and they both work at the same super market, and they both went to the Garden Club together! Before they moved to Montana, Mrs. Thomas didn't know anybody, and she barely left the house. Now, she was always busy with everything the town had planned. She was a natural social butterfly!

Everything was back to normal, and what's more to say? I bet right now, Little Ellie is at her best friend Lara's house. Mr. Thomas is probably working in the small garden outside in the back yard. Mrs. Thomas is most likely with Louisa, drinking tea in the kitchen, listening to her Beatles C.D. And as for Eddie, he's with Raven and Chelsea, splashing them with water at the beach!

_**Author's Note:** Okay, that's basically it! It's over, now! Thankyou sooo much for reading my story, and reviewing it with such nice things to say to me! My readers are what made me want to continue the story, so thankyou very very much! There will be yet one more chapter! Not for my story, but for the people who gave me pointers or who complimented my work! Thankyou so much!_

_Oh, and I don't own 'That's So Raven' or any of the characters. I don't own the Beatles CD, either... I only own Ellie, Mr. French, and Corey's 'so called friends': Dillon, Todd, and Justin. And, to tell you the truth, I've never seen a show that had Chelsea's or Eddie's parents, so since I added them to the story, I may only partially own them. I dont know...whatever. You get what I am saying, right? Who knows..._

_Just stay tuned for my chapter dedicated to my buddies that earned the right to have a chapter all for them!_


	15. My Thanks to My Readers!

This Chapter is dedicated to everybody that reviewed:

DevilKid31: Thank you for sounding so excited to read more! You made me so glad that I wanted to write updates by the second! Since you reviewed that at the beginning, it got me all pumped up and ready to write more! If it weren't for you, I'd probably not have written anything more to the story…

Whatsthatsound: You are such a** good** writer, and when I got reviews from you, it was pretty exciting!

Kagome-tsr: Thanks for letting me know that my 'Anonymous' review thing was turned off! Thanks to your little tidbit, I got more reviews! Yay!

Djstephanie4123: Thank you for complimenting me! I love it when people say "Great Story". That's what also makes me want to keep writing on!

Prodigy86: Haha! No, there wasn't any kiss! If there was, then that would just make the show seem different and everything. Oh, whatever…lol! Thanks for posting!

Druid178: I love it when people say 'Good Job'! Thank you so much!

Ashley 0918: I will definitely read your stories! Thanks for reading mine!

TroubleChick06: I LOVE what you wrote to me! It was so nice! You said I was a good author! Well, thanks for saying that, but I don't really think I'm that good…But thanks! That was so thoughtful of you!

Shinobu-chan: Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed it!

And to all the people that said to "UPDATE", I did! If nobody had said that, I probably wouldn't have! I'd probably think it was too boring for anybody to want to even review, so thanks once again to everybody who reviewed it! That was so nice of you to take up your time to tell me if you like my story or not! Yay! This is my first story that I actually finished on FanFiction!

I'll be writing more stories, too! I just have to decide which category to go under and what it should be about! I might do another "That's So Raven" story, but I think I'll do something else instead, just because change is good! So, we'll see! Keep checking my profile to see what story I'm up to next!


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